Container for alcoholic beverages



Feb. 2, 1960 R. ADELL CONTAINER FOR ALcoHoLIc BEvERAGEs Filed Aug. 30,1956 que-J..

United States l 2,923,404 CONTAINER FOR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES RobertAdell, Detroit, Mich.

Application August '30, 1956, Serial No. 607,034

4 Claims. (Cl. 20G-56) This inventionrelates to containers for alcoholicbeverages and particularly, but not exclusively, for such beveragessubject to a tax evidenced by revenue stamps.

For a great many years alcoholic beverages have been distributedpackaged in bottles. In fact,'at the present time such packaging ofalcoholic beverages is not only universal but is virtually exclusive,and is considered to be the most practical way tol package suchbeverages. Resistance oifered by glass to the chemical and dissolvingaction of alcohol, and imperviousness of glass to liquids and vaporshave been the main reasons for con-v sidering glass to be superior tosuch purposes. l

Use of a bottle having an opening at its top for pouring the contents inand for dispensing the same' necessitates provision of closing meansYsuchV asa cork or a cork-lined `metal cap to close such opening. Closingthe bottle with any of such means and maintaining it closed alsopresented a problem to the solution of which much inventive eiort hasbeen directed. In addition, opening such bottles haveA also presenteddiculties, and a large number of various bottle opening devices, rangingfrom a common cork screw to various types of.

openers for taking oif cork-lined metal caps, have been devised. Theseproblems induced those skilled'in the art to work on such closing meansthat would'provide an air tight seal and yet be simple and easy to'close and to open without the necessity of discarding the closing deviceafter opening the bottle and Vusing up its contents, las is done withcorks and metal caps. A number of such devices having means which arenot expendable at each opening, such as a porcelain cap with a rubbergasket, screw-on caps, and the like,have been offered. Nevertheless,bottle-closing means are usually expendable with each bottle andconstitute Waste.

In adidtion, an elaborate label is usuallyprovided on bottles todesignate their contents, to-improve appearance, and to impart a desiredcolor scheme'to a bottle,

often matching or contrasting the contents. The bottlesv themselves areoften made of artistic design, and some of them are expensive to make. lv

vSince alcoholic beverages represent one of the important sources ofinternal revenue, a serious problem has been confronted in thenecessity/to ensure payment of the revenue tax on the contentsof eachbottle. Since a bottle may be refilled an indefinite number Yof times,refilling such bottles presents a serious problem as Voteringpossibilitiesof tax evasion asfwell as refilling such *bottles withadulterated liquors often injurious tohealth but sold as genuine on thestrength of the bottle and,

the label. Law requires aixing akrevenueV stamp to the top of thecontainer in such a manner that it is unavoidably invalidated in theprocess of opening thebottle. There have also been enacted lawsforbidding re-use or resale of bottles or other containers foralcoholicbeverages.' Nevertheless, the nature of bottles and otherconventional containers for alcoholic beverages makes possible abuse andtax evasion through theuse of old bottles and containers.` As a result,loss `of revenue each year amounts tov a very substantial sum, andseriousY damage to health is also caused to manypersons ,byk

s ales of adulterated or Vinsuiiicently rectified liquors.

Moreover, since, in order to prevent re-use of such bottles, empty wineand hard liquor bottles are usually broken by many restaurants, nightclubs and the like, and are thrown away by individual users, aconsiderable waste is thus produced, and certain hazards created.

It should also be appreciated that bottles for alcoholic beverages aremade rather heavy in order to have them sufficiently strong and thus todecrease breakage and loss of the contents as well as the revenue stamp.Con-f sequently, the weight of the bottle compared with they Weight ofits contents is very substantial and `presents,. in the product`itself,-weight that increases the cost oi?.-

vhandling andshipping. In addition, because of brittle-f ness of'glass,such bottles have to be packaged in sub-,- stantial ,cartons and V'boxesto prevent breakage, and,. therefore, the added weight of packaging thebottles. inf creasesstill further the gross weight of shipments, adding;

" further to the inconvenience and expense.

any other materials for ticeable.

In mixed drinks and wines, where the value .of the: contents is lowerthan in the case of whiskey, the large; overhead of packaging andshipping is particularly no Moreover, with mixed drinks, mixing themat'. the counter Vleaves room for considerable variance in: the recipes.Such mixing is also time-consumingjinter-z feres with orderly operationof establishments in rushi hours, may not always be fullysanitary and isnot con-.i ducive to proper accounting. Having on hand from day"` todaya number of half full bottlesis also undesirable;V for anumber of otherreasons. Y K

One of the objects of the present invention is to pro vide an improvedpackage or container for alcoholic beverages, whereby the abovedifliculties and disadvan-g tages are overcome and largely eliminatedwithout introducing other problems or increasing the costs involved.; j

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedpackage or container for alcoholic Abever-' Y ages, said vcontainerwhile being madein the formi of an envelope'fro'm a pliable sheetmaterial, is impervioussi to the liquid and vapor of the contents aswell'as those;` of the outside air and provides an airtightsealeliminating possibilities of evaporation or dilution o'fritsfconf.,ltents. A g

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedpackage or container for alcoholic bever-Y;l

agesV susceptible of simple and effective sealing .without t theruse ofadditional bodies such as corksfcork-linedV caps, porcelain-plugs withrubbergaskets, and the 1 ike.

A further objectV of the present invention isrto provide an improvedpackage or container for alcoholic bever ages which can be openedwithout the use of any special:r tools `such as Vcork screws,` bottleopeners, and thelike, v

j and without use of expendableA closing meansxsuchas,...

corks, caps and the like.

A Vstill Vfurther object of theV present invention fis toy; provide animproved package or container for alcoholic"` beveragesv which becomeVwholly unuseable afterhaving; having beenonce. opened, and which cannotberefilled or resealed. i l

;A still further object of the provide an improvedpackage or containerlfor alcoholic.T beverages subject to tax, payment of whichis-evidfenceclI by a revenue stamp, `on"whic'h container VtherevenueVstamp may be printed directly `on the container or scale@ within thewall thereof'and becomes'.whollyunuseable and invalidated'after'thepackage has vonce been opened g A still ,further object ofthepresentlinventiomsi provide an improved package or container foialcohgli; beverages,which is adapted to Vreceive a label by print*tsnied Febr .2F-1960i present invention.; is` j to providean-improvedpacka'ge or -container 'for alcoholicj beverages,uparticularly for mixed drinksrin which' vaY mixed@ drink ofapredetermined and carefully comance properties, does not have by itselfsuticient strength pounded recipe and in predeterminedvolume, can b e` Ydelivered-to a` customer without any mixing` at the counter.` H, 1 A-still further objeetof the present invention. is fto provide-animp'rovedpakageo'r container for alcoholic beverages, particularlyfor' mixeddrinks, which enables easy and convenient refrigerating of suchbeverages `in` order thatthe same be served; ,to the consumerchilled.Serving vsuch drinks chilled eliminates thengecessity of adding icewhich, being made of common tap water, often highly chlorinatedV andcontaining other admixtures,

not only decreases in melting the proof content of the drink by dilutingit but also may completely destroy or alter the bouquetor 'aroma whichmay4 have been carefully developed in such a drink through years ofVcareful agingand through -use of specially purified water. Thus,mixeddrinks may `be served to the consumer in` their` purest form,retaining-their original bouquet and davor and without anyI dilution.` ai A still further object ofgthe present inventionpistofpro? vide animproved package or container for alcoholic beverages, whichisfextremely light and notV subject to breakage, thus permitting veryinexpensive and yet reliable packaging, presenting no fdanger ofbreakage.`

FurtherI objectsV and advantages of'this invention will`be-yapparentfrom the following description g and appended claims,`reference being had to theaccornpany ing` drawings forming a part ofthis specili'catiom wherein like reference vcharacters designatecorresponding parts inthe 'several`views, Y

"Figg- I1 is a perspective ,view showing my improved' container, lledand sealed;

Fig. 2 illustrates pouring ofthe contents ofthe, Container into a glass.,p

Fig.Y 3 shows my improved container beforefthe Same isyiilled.

Figi V4 lis a Sectional view takenV in the dire'ctieaorfthe,

arrowscn the section plane passingA through` theline `ofi-rig. 3; pFig.` 5 "is a sectional'view taken in the direction of the,

arrows on the section plane passing through the line 5 5 of Fig. 3 Y

- F-ig` is vamoditied form of my container in whiclilthe Vrevenue stampis provided all around the container. It-"Visto `be understood that theinvention is not limited.

inf-its application to the details of construction and are rangement ofparts illustratedin the accompanyingfdr'awin'gs, sincejthe invention is,capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced` or carried out `invariousways.r Also,.`itis to be understood that the phr'aseology andterminology employedherein is for the purpose. of: de? scriptionand notof limitation.

In laccordance with the invention, I- provide au. irn-V proved`containerfor alcoholicbeverages in the form oa-'package or envelopemade of pliable laminateplastic material. The composite sheet of suchmaterial includes,-

one-layerformin'g the inside surface ofthe containerand Y madehof amaterial resistantto theactionof alcohol, Vacidsandothersrubstancesrthat are contained by 'alcoholic beverages, andjvvhichis impervious to such;beverages or their vapors. The other layerof thecompositelsheet,

fqrngingvthe' outside surface of the puackagar,is ,ma.de,0fA anotherplastic-material possessingwotherl physical'and chemical- "propertiesnot found in the layer formingdhe insideof-` the'package, such ashighertensilestrength, low

stretchability and ablt'y tol takemprintinggw Ihjeinner wilsihecontainer; at@ made preferably offplythrlene.

to form a package practical for use.

Referring specifically to the drawings, Fig. l illustrates my improvedpackage in its sealed form. `Referring specifically to Fig. 3 whichshows said package before filling and sealing, the package comprises twowalls 10 and 11 in which the layersforming the inner surfaces of thepackage and-designated by the numerals 10e and 11a are made vofpolyethylene plastic of sufficient thickness while the outsidelayersthereof designated respectively by the numerals `ltband 11b aremade of cellulose acetate sheet.

The layers `of each-wallare bonded together to form a unitary laminatesheet. In the present embodiment of 1 the invention the sides.15 and 16of the package are formed by fusion sealing of the layers 10a and 11aof` the polyethyleneplastic, whilethebottom 17 is sealed u alsobyvhaving-the outer'sheets` 10b and 11b beingintegmh` atvthebottom .ofthepackage,` as indicated in Fig. `5 at 18.`

' On oneorboth .walls ofthe package there is'. printed. a. revenue stampindicated by the numeral 20. Such` stampmawbe printed in reverse ontheinner side` of one` or both layers/10b.. and 11b.. andappear throughthe.; transparent. mass.. ofV such sheet in the direct formt; Notches22are` providedonthe package` at the top there#Vof,extendingtoward,the..revenue stamp. `AY dottedlinei 2.4 Aisfprintedor. pressedlin` on the package.from-the;7 notches 22across the stamp andtoward the outsider of the` packageinorder. toguide` the tear as`troriginatcs` inthefnotchg22.. i .y

When4 thefpackageisjilled and sealed,` the walls: `1th and 11- formfasingle `combined wall designated by, the f i numeral ,7.61.1y It ,willbe` understood that. the' singlenotch` 2,8., thus Yformed.byzthetv'vonotches 2 2, may also be cut..

after. sealingV of the container. A slit or tab may` alsobeiV usedinstead` of a notch. AFor opening the, container, its cornerxistornoifrbe-y ,ginningwiththe` notchV 28-.to` make a` small opening as:`indicated at 30, and. thus enable` the user to form a pour-` t ing,lspoutf for pouring thecontents and` also to `irreparablyl invalidate:the revenuey stamp 20by tearing. Afteiwthe` contentsof the package arepouredlout, the container is? discarded. I have found by` practicalfexperience that the container. once usedf. cannotfberesealedgsincenpoly@ ethyleneplastic once ,acted uponyby alcohol willnot fusel properly andwill spring a leak shortly after `suchgat-`tempted .resealing. r t.

0n theoutsideofthepackage there providedasuit` i able, legendsuchasindicated byA 32 in` the form ofthe-1 name and the,l specification Iofthe t drink, artistic desgrn. tradename. andthe trademark of themanufacturer, and

the message Awhich themanufacturen wishes to conveyr;

. tothe cons umcor which may be required'byr law;` Sucht` printing is.Adoneprior. to makingthe laminate` sheets by, printingit in ,reverse on;the inner side ofthe acetate Sheet; making it appear directly throughamass thereof. Such i printing'not only has; a. glossy and` very bright`appearance but,b,eingsealed within themass `of. the Llaminaterplasticisheet, isprotected from, the actionlof thealcoholf'r coml tained in,thebeverage.andrpossible dilution thereby; as; well` as from: b.eing.rubbed `095,L scratched, or dilutedfbya other agents, that` couldwactonA suchprintingwfrom ,that outside..4 Thus, ,then printing/isa fully;`protected- -and` `pre-r.` served,;`and .thepossibilityp of itsdilutionrand ofthe printf ing ink# getting L on.,A the fingers of theconsumen elim-: inated.;l q m Fig .6. is aviewzsimilar `in part to Fig;y3,j the .differences 1 inconstruction lying primarilylin the; fact thatintthe con@` structionof` .Figgf `6: fthe Vrevenue stamp, is providediaround L nqmeralsas, its,L a1. .maar

While I disclose use of polyethylene and cellulose acetate plastics, itwill be understood that the invention is not limited to the use of suchplastics only, but other plastic materials possessing requisiteproperties may also be used with success. Also, the outside layer may bemade of metal foil, such as aluminum foil, bonded to other materialsuitable to form inside walls of the package.

By virtue of the above disclosed construction, the objects of thepresent invention listed above and numerous additional advantages areattained.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising a bag with all of its wallsmade of a pliable laminate material having an inside layer of a fusiblealcohol-resisting plastic material and an outside layer of non-brousmaterial of greater strength than the material of said inside layer,with said layers being bonded together to form a unitary wall structure,a quantity of alcoholic beverage sealed Within said bag, and a revenuestamp sealed between said two layers in a place where it is irreparablydamaged by tearing and made unusable as the bag is being opened.

2. The article of manufacture defined in claim 1, with the inner layerbeing made of polyethylene plastic material and the outside layer madeof cellulose acetate.

3. An article of manufacture, comprising a bag with all of its wallsmade of a pliable laminate plastic material having an inside layer offusible alcohol-resisting plastic material and an outside layer oftransparent plastic material of greater strength than the material ofsaid inside layer, with said layers being bonded together to form aunitary wall structure, a. quantity of alcoholic beverage sealed withinsaid bag, and a revenue stamp printed in reverse on the inner surface ofsaid outside layer to appear direct through the transparent body thereofand at least partly within the walls of `the bag which are fusedtogether for sealing said bag.

4. An article of manufacture, comprising a bag with all of its wallsmade of a pliable laminate plastic material having an inside layer madeof polyethylene plastic material and an outside layer of transparentplastic material of greater strength than the material of said insidelayer, with said layers being bonded together to form a unitary wallstructure, a quantity of alcoholic beverage sealed within said bag, anda paper revenue stamp sealed between said two layers in a place Where itis torn as the container is being opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,125,318 Salisberg Aug. 2, 1938 2,248,266 Abrams July 8, 1941 2,260,064Stokes Oct. 21, 1941 2,543,229 Chapman Feb. 27, 1951 2,584,632 SouthwickFeb. 5, 1952 2,679,968 Richter June l, 1954 2,741,402 Sayre Apr. l0,1956 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Packaging publication, November 1953, pp.98-99. (Copy in Div. 40.)

